Tour of the Troodos Mountains with kids, Cyprus

Most of us tend to think of Cyprus being sun, sea & sand – and while that’s definitely true, you shouldn’t miss a day exploring the Troodos Mountains with kids to discover a different side of Cyprus.

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Away from the seaside resorts, Mount Troodos is 1,952m high – the island’s highest peak, it would tower over Ben Nevis – and there’s usually enough snow for skiing in winter.

If you’re visiting outside the summer months, don’t be surprised to find the roads covered with snow too, so only drive if you’re prepared. During the summer, the main roads are good (if twisty, this is the mountains after all) so you can explore independently in even an average hire car, as well as venturing further off road in a 4×4.

Having had such a good time on our Sunshine Safari tour to the Akamas Peninsula earlier in our trip, we decided to ditch our plan of setting out on our own to explore, and booked another day trip with Konstantinos, whose mother was born (and currently lives) in a village in the Troodos Mountains.

I’m so glad we did too, as we visited places on this Troodos Mountains tour which I doubt I’d ever have found solo, as well as a bit more off roading through the mountains away from the main roads (which my little hire car definitely wouldn’t have coped with).

And like our earlier tour, the day was packed with quirky sights as well as the better-known highlights of the mountains, plus a few active thrills and some culture, not to mention a chance to learn more about Cyprus from Konstantinos.

Including our first stop, at the second biggest dam in Cyprus, the Asprokremmos dam, which can hold over 50 million cubic litres of water when it’s full, drowning a medieval village built by the Franks – less than half full right now, we could spy the old buildings on the hillside above the bluey green water.

Normally there are months of snow in winter which help to fill the reservoirs and rivers during all but the height of summer – this year saw only a single week of snow, so levels are far below normal.

While hoping for much cooler temperatures and higher rainfall next year, it did mean we could make the most of peak summer’s weather to walk along a dried-up river bed, in an area that’s home to several medieval Venetian stone bridges.

The first we spotted, around 500 years old, slopes steeply upwards to its high point in the middle – an indication of just how high water levels used to be, and still can be if there are storms and flash flooding.

After a short stroll along the river bed, as well as a walk along one of the mountain roads scented with pines and silent apart from the sound of the wind in the trees, our next stop was the Chantara waterfalls.

From the heat of the sunny road to the shady waterfalls, you could feel the cool of the water in the air as soon as you arrive. If you don’t fancy a climb or a dip, the lowest falls make for some great photos, while the next cascade and the one above are perfect for a refreshing dip.

Very refreshing, in fact! It might have been August, with temperatures of over 30C even in the mountains (and closer 40C by the coast) but the water was take-your-breath-away chilly when you first went in – and then hugely invigorating once you had got used to it.

It’s well worth bringing water shoes or waterproof sandals if you can. Having cleverly forgotten to pack mine, I climbed cautiously from one pool to another using the mossy grass for handholds, while my daughter (who DID have her waterproof sandals) went around the drier section by the side.

Having both inched ourselves under the waterfall itself for an impromptu shower and a victory pose for our photographer at the pool below, I climbed back down even more cautiously before we headed back on.

For a rather different experience in Omodos, one of the prettiest villages in the mountains. Home to the Monastery of the Holy Cross, where Saint Helena (mother of Emperor Constantine, who converted the Roman Empire to Christianity) is said to have brought some of the cross, the monastery still houses a relic of a piece of rope, said to have been used to tie Christ to the cross.

It’s an important site for Orthodox Catholics (and many Christians), with a small museum housing ancient church regalia and icons, as well as another small one on traditional lace making, so there’s plenty to appreciate even if not religious.

If you’re wearing shorts or have bare shoulders, you can also borrow robes in order to go inside the monastery church.

We could happily have spent longer wandering through Omodos too – it’s worth knowing that it gets even busier at weekends, as a lot of Cypriots will visit then, including to visit the monastery – with tempting little souvenir shops, as well as a converted house showing traditional daily life, as well as another selling various different liqueurs.

If you’re not taking a tour of the Troodos Mountains, Platres is another great place to stop during your day in the Troodos Mountains with kids – another pretty village with a nearby waterfall, it has some fun family attractions too, such a chocolate workshop and adventure ropes course

During the day, we stopped at several businesses displaying the Taste Cyprus mark on the Heartland of Legends route, including a family business making loukoumi (Cypriot delight – definitely not Turkish delight!) including rose and bergamot flavours.

You can also have a quick look at how it’s made, a process that takes well over a day, before trying a few samples.

While I managed to resist buying a dozen boxes to bring home, I couldn’t resist temptation at one of our later stops, Linos winery – one of only six in the world which produces blue wines.

Using red grape skins to get the colour, it tastes very much like white wine, but is an oddly vibrant blue. If you don’t fancy that, there are several other white, rose and red wines, including a vegan red wine, plus Commanderia, a sweet dessert wine which dates back to the time of the Crusades.

We had also stopped mid morning for Cypriot coffee, made using a special machine and stirred using an olive stick, as well as a plate of treats – village halloumi (ready to eat without grilling) as well as a sweet creamy creation from earlier in the cheese-making process, drizzled with grape juice, called Anari.

All accompanied by pita bread, cucumber, tomatoes in olive oil and black olives. Fortunately with all the walking and waterfall climbing, we still had plenty of appetite for lunch in Omodos, choosing to stop in Katoi restaurant.

While I was tempted by kleftiko, there was also souvlaki, kebabs, charcoal grilled lamb chops and a whole string of other traditional dishes on the menu – plenty for kids and massive portions.

Probably a good job we had nothing to do for a little while except to enjoy the views and a bit more off-roading on the mountain routes, plus a spot of wine tasting.

But there was still one more stop before our day was complete, on the road back to Paphos for a quick sea swim at Aphrodite’s rock.

One of the best-known myths attached to Cyprus is that it’s the birthplace of Aphrodite, and you can still visit the spot today.

Its real name is Petra tou Romiou; according to legend it was thrown into the sea by a hero and only later did the goddess of love and beauty emerge from the waves nearby – these days, the rock and the beach are very firmly Aphrodite’s though.

It’s said if you swim once around the rock, you’ll get good luck. If you only have time for a short visit as we did, we swam out to touch it and back in about 10 minutes! The beach is pebbly so water shoes are a good idea here as well.

There’s also a safe route from the car park under the road to the beach, so you needn’t dodge traffic – it narrows to a fairly thin dark tunnel before emerging again into the sunlight.

Don’t make any big plans for the evening – it was around 6pm when we arrived back home, salty, soggy and having had a huge amount of fun.

For another great day tour with Sunshine Safaris, check out the Akamas National Park and Avakas Gorge trip we tried earlier in our holiday in Cyprus

Need to know: Troodos Mountains tour with kids

The tour takes around eight hours officially, but usually runs over so it’s best to keep any plans afterwards flexible, and includes pick-up from various destinations between Paphos and Coral Bay, which you’ll agree with Konstantinos in advance.

There’s space for a maximum of eight people in the jeep, and do expect to be bumped around – the forward facing seats are more comfortable, especially if you’re taller. Lunch and coffee is not included in the price of the tour.

Book tickets with free cancellation via GetYourGuide or you can also book direct at Cyprus Sunshine Safaris Tours.

For ideas of more things to do in Paphos with kids, check out my top picks, as well as our day out in Avakas Gorge with kids

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links – any purchases you make are unaffected but I may receive a small commission

Chantara waterfall pool image courtesy of Depositphotos, all other images copyright MummyTravels

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